Day 2: Lima to Sacred Valley

The new Lima airport has only been open for two weeks, and they probably have some operational kinks to work out. Therefore, LATAM suggested we arrive three hours before our flight to Cusco at 7:55am (even though LIM—>CUZ is a domestic flight). FINE… 3:30am wake up call it is.

We managed to get up and briefly hit the Wyndham breakfast buffet by 4am for a few bites and “protein bars” (aka. cookies) before catching the shuttle. Fortunately, the ride from the old airport to the new airport is all right turns, so it only took about 10 minutes.

Mean way to translate items at a 4am breakfast buffet

Lima still working out traffic patterns to the new airport

Upon arrival, we were greeted by another Wyndham employee who carted our bags into the airport and escorted us to the check-in. A bit odd, but maybe they were trying to make up for the whole shuttle bus situation. Anyways, the help was nice.

In typical fashion, we had to wait about five minutes before LATAM would let us check our bags (it was 4:50am, and they won’t allow it more than three hours in advance). The time was well spent exchanging some US dollars into Peruvian Sols for future shopping.

Once bag drop was complete, we went through security and found the waiting area for the domestic terminal. The three-hour suggestion was certainly overkill as we had about two hours until boarding. We spent the time shopping, crocheting, and waiting for the local coffee shop to open and had a delicious dark chocolate espresso.

Jo’s next crochet project

The flight was quick – only a bit over an hour — and we landed in Cusco shortly after 9am. The final 20 minutes features some great views of the Vilcabamba mountain range followed by a strong bank into the Cusco valley for the landing.

Hey, hey, Salkantay

We collected our luggage and found the Explora van. We did our best to chat with the driver in Spanish until Jo fell asleep and Matt enjoyed the scenery.

Back to Urubamba!

Corn man of Huayllabamba still going strong

Once we arrived at Explora, we were greeted by our expedition team leader Luis (aka. Chato) and our senior guide Braithan (aka. Brai). We checked in and were guided to our room. We had about 30 minutes before lunch started, so we were able to unpack a bit and change into our hiking clothes. We had a delicious Explora lunch – trout ceviche and chica power drinks, we missed you.

With Luis and Brai

Explora room 10…

…with a view

So, so good

The other three adventurers joining us on the expedition arrived to Cusco on later fights and had to deal with some traffic, but they eventually made it in time for our introductory afternoon exploration to Machu Kolka. We were officially introduced to Lengyan (aka. Qi), Nancy (aka. Nan), and Britton (aka. Brit). Brai gave us low-down on the hike, and we hopped in the van.

Machu Kolca briefing

The hike started right next to the town of Chinchero, which we had visited when we were here in 2022. This time though, instead of seeing the town, we started hiking up a hill and back down towards the kolkas (storage houses) from the Incas. Along the way, we had amazing views of Urubamba and the surrounding mountains. We also spotted three Andean White Tailed deer frolicking about the hillside.

Starting in Chinchero

View to the northeast

No training wheel hikes this time, right up to 4000m

As we reached the highest point of the hike, the sun started to set. It made for a great backdrop… and a little motivation to keep moving. We continued the route down hill to Machu Kolka where we had some time to admire what was left of the structures. The Incas use these store houses to keep food they had harvested fresh. This allowed them to keep a reserve away from potential thieves (or the Spanish), and gave the community some security that they will still have food even if they don’t have a lot of crops.

Sunset over Sacred Valley

Machu Kolka

Navigating the Machu Kolka terraces

We made our way down past Machu Kolka and to the van where the traditional Explora post-hike spread was waiting for us. We snacked on cheese and crackers and drank some tea. By the time we were done, the sun had fully set and we hopped back in the van for the drive to the hotel. First hike a success.

Machu Kolka hike details

On our return to the hotel, we gathered for an introductory briefing about the expedition and the importance of our planned route featuring parts of the Qhapaq Ñan and Inca Trail. Chato and Brai were joined by senior guide Rocio (aka. Chio). We already knew Chio because she was one of the amazing guides we had back in 2022. She will join us for the camping portion of the trip. Once all of our logistical questions were answered, we headed to the dining room for dinner. We ate and chatted until it was time to go to sleep.

Cheers!

Tomorrow we’ll head a bit further to the west and go on a 10km hike to Wata. Even better, we get to wake up at 6:30am — a whole three hours later than today!